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Brick Stitch

Of all the styles of beaded jewelry I make, beaded brooches used to come last on my list of preferred beading projects. But no more! After looking at the gorgeous free beaded brooch projects we've chosen for our latest free eBook, I'm inspired to start making more of these beauties to accent...

For most of us, our introduction to beaded ropes came by way of making tubular versions of our favorite off-loom bead-weaving stitches, or by creating a classic spiral rope. There's something incredible about watching a few rounds of bead stitching turn into a fabulous beaded rope. Beaded ropes have...

So many bead-weaving stitches, so little time! Just when I think I've found my favorite bead-weaving stitch or technique, another one grabs my attention with a new twist or a variation. But time and time again, I find myself coming back to these three basic off-loom bead-weaving stitches for most...

It's barely summer and already I'm feeling a little bit of that annual laziness take hold, the kind of days where I just want to sit outside with a lemonade and look at pretty pictures. Thank goodness for the Battle of the Beadsmith ... and for Beadwork editor Melinda Barta who asked me to write...

Beaded bangle bracelets are a cinch to size when you use a brick stitch base! Using basic brick stitch with large beads (size 8 or size 6) let you make a substantial-feeling bangle bracelet that will fit you like a glove. Want to try this fast, easy, and super-cute brick stitch bangle bracelet beading...

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly make any more room in my bead stash for more cabochons , Tina Holden, my Bead Soup Blog Party swap partner from earlier this year, decided to do a major destash in one of her online shops. That meant lots and lots of her gorgeous polymer clay and resin cabochons...

My very first job out of college was working for a small, non-profit community development organization. When I was hired, the Executive Director told me that she was impressed with my attention to detail, and never would I have guessed at the time that my attention to detail would be so useful for when...

Wedding season is in full swing, so this is the time of year when many of my beading friends who make custom beaded wedding jewelry find themselves knee-deep in orders for custom beaded wedding jewelry. And no wonder: having unique beaded wedding jewelry is a great way for a bride to express her individuality...

Whenever I teach a beadweaving class, my students always want to know: what was the first beadweaving stitch you learned? (Followed closely by: which beadweaving stitch is the easiest and best stitch to learn?) It only took me a few hours to make my very first peyote stitch amulet bag, but it took me...

One of my favorite sources of inspiration for making beaded jewelry is antique and vintage jewelry. So when my good friend gifted me with a huge box of very special antique beaded jewelry, I decided to repurpose some of the jewelry for new jewelry-making projects. The original vintage pearl earrings...

Once upon a time, I found myself finishing up a bead embroidered necklace, and as usual, I didn't have a clue as to how I would add fringe to it. After I finished the brick stitch edging, I must have tried six or seven different patterns for fringe. Nothing looked right. Looking at it on my work...

This year, I'm working on some necklace making makeovers using a stash of vintage and antique jewelry that was given to me by a very dear friend from Los Angeles. Many of my original beaded jewelry designs are inspired by vintage and antique jewelry designs, so I'm really having a great time...

Making an open-backed bezel for a cabochon has certain advantages over making one using bead embroidery techniques. If you're using a transparent or translucent cabochon, stitching an open-backed bezel for it will allow light to pass through it and make it brighter. Or when using a transparent cabochon...

I think pretty much everyone who learns peyote stitch makes one of "those" bracelets. You know the ones I'm talking about: a wide (or narrow) strip of peyote stitch, usually even-count, with a button clasp on one end. It's probably the one most unattractive piece of peyote stitch jewelry...

What is it about beaded beads that captures our imagination? The Zen Buddhist in me loves the idea that beaded beads are beads that are made out of...well, more beads! The simplest beaded beads can be made from a strip of peyote stitch or brick stitch that has been zipped together to form a tube. Or...